Medium Raw
by Simply-Cath
Summary: Seth Rollins is a normal guy with an abnormal ability. He takes a break from his normal routine, for better or worse.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Medium Raw AUTHOR: Cath DISCLAIMBER: These guys belong to themselves, names belong to WWE, I'm not making any money off this.  
DISTRIBUTION: Get my permission first. Go ahead, ask. I'm easy. Wait...  
RATING: K CONTENT: Bad language, ghosts, disturbing images, mild sexual innuendo, sexy banter SPOILERS: None SUMMARY: Seth Rollins is a normal guy with an abnormal ability. He takes a break from his normal routine, for better or worse.  
NOTES: This is chapter 1. Chapter 2 is on its way shortly.

Medium Raw By: Cath

Seth sat up, brushing the hair from his eyes, and looked around for his friends. Roman was on a chair in the far corner of the room, fngers steepled, hair shadowing his face. It took him another second to find Dean. The blond was sprawled over a chest at the end of the bed, bent over backwards. "Morning, guys."

"'bout time you woke up," Ambrose muttered.

"Shut up, Dean," Roman said without any heat. "What's the plan, Rollins?"

Seth swung his feet off the bed, planting them on the plush rug. "Same as always: work, gym, work, bed."

"Oh come on seriously?" Dean hopped to his feet and began pacing. "That's what we do everyday. It's boring."

"What would you like?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I dunno, it's just like, don't you ever get bored with the same old shit? Work and gym, work and gym, work and gym. We could like, take over the world or something."

"World domination?" Roman snorted. "Little ambitious for seven in the morning, isn't it?"

Seth chuckled.

"It's not that crazy," Dean shrugged one shoulder. "Seth already has a superpower."

"All right, all right, we'll go out for lunch today. We'll take over the world next week." Seth finally got up, scratching his stomach. "But I'm not taking over shit without coffee and a shower. Damnit, do I even have coffee?" He looked from side to side as if he expected the beans to be on his dresser or in Roman's hand.

Roman shrugged one shoulder. "You got the pot ready last night, but you'll need to pick up more today anyway."

"Oh yeah." Rollins headed into the kitchen for a moment, then disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Seconds later, the water was running.

Dean started for the bathroom.

Roman clamped a hand down on the blonde's shoulder. "Give him ten."

"Nah." Dean shimmied out of the bigger man's grip. "Just 'cause I'm dead doesn't mean I can't find a few cheap thrills."

With that, Ambrose strolled up to, then through, the bathroom door.

Roman pinched the bridge of his nose.

First there was a wolf whistle.

"GODDAMNIT, AMBROSE!" Followed by what sounded like a bar of soap hitting the door.

"Children." Roman shook his head. He walked through the door and into the living room.

o(*)o

"You really should buy jeans that fit next time," Dean chimed in.

"Shut up." Seth rolled his eyes and grabbed his hair, tying it back into a ponytail. "They're comfortable."

"Just saying, how can you even walk in those things?"

"I walk fine," Seth muttered, taking a seat at his desk. He booted up his computer.

Dean huffed quite dramatically and flopped on to the couch. "I was promised lunch. Don't forget."

"Yeah, yeah," Seth muttered.

"You missed a call when you were in the shower." Roman dropped into a chair across from Dean.

"Thanks." Seth skimmed through his messages till he found the missed caller. "Hey, Jack, Seth here, got your message. What's up?"

o(*)o

"Ugh." Seth linked his fingers and stretched his arms up over his head. He arched his back till the kinks in his spine gave way. "Son of a bitch." He fired up his accounting program and updated Jack's invoice, then emailed it to him, before printing it. He scowled when the machine chimed mournfully and the empty toner light blinked to life. "Damn. All right, whatever." Seth got up and flicked on the TV. The ever faithful weather channel clicked on and Seth went into his room and threw on a black sportcoat over his T-shirt. After double checking his hair, he grabbed his ipod off the dresser. "You guys all set?"

"Yeah, 'cause I've got all this other shit to do." Ambrose was already by the door, fidgeting.

"Don't be a smartass." Rollins rolled his eyes. He shoved his wallet and keys into his pockets and left.

"Don't think he can help it."

"Hey, shut up."

Before stepping out on to the street, Seth slipped on his shades and shoved his earbuds in, notching the volume as high as he could stand it.

Roman fell into his default position, two paces in front of Seth. He took a breath as Dean started talking, bitching about the weather he couldn't feel, mocking the fashion sense of other pedestrians, remicising about some of the stores they passed; saying anything he had to, in order to make sure his voice would be the first thing Seth heard if his ipod crapped out.

Reigns looked back over his shoulder. Seth had his head down, hands in his pockets, probably staring at the sidewalk to block out as much as possible. Roman faced straight ahead again. He had to wonder how Rollins had made it this far in life before he and Dean came along.

He stopped at a street corner, waiting for the lights to change. It was then that he realized Seth wasn't there.

Looking back, he spotted Seth about ten feet back, staring into the street. It wasn't hard to figure out what had his attention.

She was pretty, or would have been without all the blood. Her blue dress was soaked with it. Clutching her stomach, she wove between the cars, beating on hoods. Her wailing sliced right through him. Roman ground his teeth, fighting the urge to clap his hands over his ears.

Seth stood on the edge of the sidwalk. "Help. Help her." He looked helplessly from side to side. He took a step out, only to draw back sharply as a red sedan careened by, horn screaming at him.

Dean hopped in front of Seth, blocking his vision. "Stop, Seth. Stop. Look at me. Focus on me."

Roman moved to Seth's side, speaking right in his ear. "Walk away, Rollins. She's already gone."

The only sign that Seth heard him was a slight tensing of his shoulders. "Nobody's helping her. Why isn't anyone helping her?"

"They can't see her!" Dean snapped. "Don't look at her. Look at the people."

"Wh-what?" Right." Seth forced himself to look across the street. No one was staring, or taking pictures, or calling for help. Everyone was walking or reading or talking on their phones.

"What do you see?"

"They don't see her." Seth's voice had stopped shaking. He looked between Dean and Roman. The woman walked right up to them. She met his eyes for a second before flickering out of sight, disappearing at the other end of the street. The screaming began again, repeating note for note, motion for motion.

"What does that tell you?" Roman said firmly.

"She's already gone. I can't help."

"Walk." Dean said quickly.

"Walk," Seth murmured. "Walk." He squared his shoulders and continued on his way, losing himself in the music and the patterns in the cracks on the sidewalk.

o(**)o

"What can I get you?"

"Are you talking to me?" Seth looked around, his cheeks flushing a bit when he realized that the place was empty except for Dean and Roman.

"Who else would I be talking to?"

"Sorry," Seth smiled. "Been one of those days, you know?"

"I hear you." She held up her notepad. "What can I get you?"

"Can I get the steak wrap with a salad instead of fries?"

"I like a guy who knows what he wants. Speaking of, how about a drink?"

"Coffee and a water with lime, please."

"Ohhh, water's our speciality." She wrote everything down. "I'm Summer, by the way."

"Seth."

"Seth," she repeated, licking her lips. "I like that. Let me get that started for you."

Dean's gaze dropped to her swaying hips, but it was Roman who spoke first. "She's cute."

"Cute?" Dean snorted. "Are you blind? She's fucking hot."

Seth murmured his agreement, grinning as Summer set down a glass of water in front of him, and filled up his coffee cup. "Summer, this might seem like a weird question, but are you a dancer?"

Summer gestured around the empty cafe. "Well obviously, this is the dream, but yeah, I teach on weekends. How'd you guess?"

"The way you walk. You've got great rhythm."

"Good eye. Food should only take a few more minutes."

"How'd you know?" Roman walked over to the large bay windows, staring out at the passerby.

Seth waited until Summer was out of hearing range, then shrugged. "In highschool, "Seth shrugged. "Laura was my first girlfriend. She'd practice every day after school in the auditorium. Turns out she died in 1976." Seth added some milk to his coffee. "Kind of put a damper on things."

o(*)o

Seth tipped his head back and finished the last of his water. He headed to the restroom, passing Summer with a smile.

A man in a suit was already in the restroom, leaning on the wall as though waiting for someone. Seth nodded in acknowledgement and walked to the sink. He let the water run to warm up. Rollins checked his reflection.

Motion caught his eye. The man walked past him, towards the stalls.

The back of his head was in pieces.

"Oh god." Bile seared its way up Seth's throat. "Oh god." He gripped the edge of the sink, staring down at the drain. When the nausea receded, Rollins bolted from the bathroom, only to stumble back a step, sending him back into the wall with a gasp.

"Whoa, whoa, Seth, what's wrong?" Summer gripped his forearm. She brushed a strand of hair from his suddenly pale forehead. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Part of Seth was seriously tempted to laugh in her face, if only to see the reaction. He shook his head, falling back on his default excuse. "It's a migraine. I've got one coming on and they hit like a ton of bricks. I need to get home and chill out for a while."

"Right. Let me wrap up your food for you, okay?" She squeezed his arm, and headed back.

Seth closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to compose himself. By the time he came back out, Summer was behind the register, a black take out box on the table beside her.

"You okay?" Roman asked.

Seth subtly gestured to the door, then walked up to Summer. Checking the bill he fished for his wallet and pulled out the cash for the meal, as well as a generous tip. Their fingers brushed as they made contact. He couldn't remember the last time he'd touched anyone. Seth coughed and looked away.

"Wait, there's one more thing." Summer printed up another receipt, grabbed a marker and wrote on the back of it. "You'll need that too."

Seth looked at the new paper and arched an eyebrow. "A seven figure lunch. I'm not sure I can afford that."

Dean wraggled his eyebrows. "Maybe she'll let you work it off."

Summer winked at him. "I think I'll let you work it off."

"Ohhh, I like her." Dean nudged Roman in the side with his elbow. "I like her."

"You take care of yourself, okay, Seth?" Summer smiled.

"I will. See you around, Summer." He took his container and started for the exit.

"I sure hope so."

They walked in silence for half a block. "Man," Dean let out a low whistle; "If going for lunch turns out that well, just imagine how easy it'll be when we take over the world next week."

Roman smirked. "Dean's right. At this rate, you might need to tie a black sock around your doorknob. Or hers."

"Shut up, Dean."

"Hey! I didn't say anything!"

"Force of habit," Roman and Seth said in unison.

Dean shoved his hands in his pockets. "You're both dicks."

o(**)o

Well here's the first part. Coming up next time: Things get dark.


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: Medium Raw AUTHOR: Cath DISCLAIMBER: These guys belong to themselves, names belong to WWE, I'm not making any money off this.  
DISTRIBUTION: Get my permission first. Go ahead, ask. I'm easy. Wait...  
RATING: K CONTENT: Bad language, ghosts, disturbing images, mild sexual innuendo, sexy banter SPOILERS: None SUMMARY: Seth Rollins is a normal guy with an abnormal ability. He takes a break from his normal routine, for better or worse.  
NOTES: Here's the finale. I might return to this later if there's some interest.

Seth slid the key into his lock and twisted. Juggling his bags, he toed off his shoes and dropped his bags on the couch. It was a quick matter to change the printer ink and put the rest of his groceries away. "Happy now, Dean?"

Ambrose grinned toothily. "You mean you're not?"

"She was hot." Roman added with a shrug, flopping on to the couch. "You going to call her?"

"Maybe." He looked between the two and rolled his eyes. "All right, all right, I'll call her when I get back from the gym. Would you drop it?" Rollins picked up the remote from the back of the couch and skimmed through the channels till he found a baseball game Dean and Roman could agree on. With a small grin, he went back to work, firing off emails, his typing quick and smooth as he tuned out the game and his friends.

The next time he looked at the clock, arching an eyebrow when he realized that he'd worked a full hour later than he'd planned, not surprising since the game was in overtime. He pushed his chair back and went into his bedroom, changing into a pair of shorts and a black muscle shirt. He tied his hair back and slipped his clothes into his gym bag.

When he stepped out of the room, he was treated to the sight of Dean's victory dance, some strange combination of arm wriggling, hip shimmying and headbanging. "I didn't know dead guys could have seizures."

"Hey shut up, you wish you could have moves like this," Ambrose drawled, moonwalking his way to the door.

"I'll put dance lessons on my to-do list." Seth assured him as he shut off the TV.

"Well you already know a dancer."

"Not you too, Reigns," Seth pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm just saying-"

"And now you're just dropping it." Seth shut the door on his way out.

"Damn Roman, do you have to be so annoying?" Dean said, heading out through the door.

Reigns rolled his eyes and followed.

o(**)o

Sweat stung the corners of his eyes, but Seth ignored it, focusing on the musing blaring in his ears and the burn of the workout. His muscles strained with the last lift as he lifted the bar up over his head and slowly eased it back into place. A ten minute run on the treadmill served as his coolldown. Shutting off his music, he headed towards the shower. Seth stripped out of his clothes, and put on his flip flops before entering the shower. He rinsed off quickly, intent on getting rid of most of the grime at home.

"You missed a spot!" Ambrose called out.

Seth rolled his eyes and wrapped a towel around his waist. His hair fell in wet, damp curls down to his shoulders, rivulets of cold water occasionally making him shiver.

Seth changed quickly back into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He slid the earbuds back into place an started out the door. Sipping from his bottle of water, he started walking back to his car.

He turned his head, basking in the last few rays of the sun. He nudged a pop can out of his way and adjusted his gym back so it settled more comfortably across his shoulder. Draining the last of his water, Seth tossed it into a nearby trash container. He turned to his car and slid the key into the door.

Roman turned to face him, his eyes widening.

A burst of blinding pain sent Seth staggering. Another blow knocked him into an alley, on his hands and knees. Clutching his temple, Seth cried out when a boot landed in the small of his back, knocking him flat. He turned on to his back and scooted away.

In the heavy shadows he could barely make out the man's face. Wide brown eyes, dark skinned, bald; he had a jagged scar running from his cheek to his jawbone.

"Get up, Rollins!" Roman shouted. Movement out of the corner of his eye gave him pause and he looked to his left to see Ambrose pressed up against the wall, his eyes fixed on the man.

Seth scrambled to his feet, trying to keep some distance between them. "Look, man, you can have whatever you want."

"I want what you've got." The man brandished the pistol with ease, keeping it level with Seth's chest.

"Ambrose," Roman hissed.

Seth turned to look at them. Dean was wide eyed, lips parted as if he'd been frozen mid word. Pale at the best of times, he looked positively ashen in the dim light from the streetlamps.

"What the hell?" Roman put his hand on the other man's chest. "Dean."

The contact seemed to shake Ambrose back to some semblance of reality. "That's Levon." Dean licked his lips. "That's Levon. He killed me."

"HEY!" Levon raised his gun higher, aiming it right between Seth's eyes. "What the fuck is your problem? I said hand over your keys and wallet right now."

"Okay, okay." Seth swallowed hard, fighting the urge to touch his face where it throbbed. Blood ran down his arm. "I just want to walk out of this, Levon."

The man's eyes widened. "How the hell do you-?" The gun lowered.

Roman assessed the situation. "Throw your bag, Seth! Now!"

Seth obeyed, using both hands to shove the royal blue gym bag right into the man's chest with enough force to send him staggering a step. The gun fell from his fingers. Seth dove for the weapon.

"He's got two!" Dean shouted. His voice fell to a murmur. "He always has two."

There was a flash of silver. The light caught on the metal, making it blaze like the sun, blinding him. Seth heard a loud bang and he froze in place.

Time stilled. He could hear the sound of sirens, but his eyes were locked on Levon's face. Seth could do nothing but stare as the man fell to his knees, a red stain spreading on his shirt, his mouth open in a look of total shock. His eyes fixed on Seth's for a moment before he collapsed face down.

The gun fell from Seth's fingers and he froze in place. The sirens got closer and a voice shouted at him to get to his knees.

o(**)o

Seth wondered if this was what it was like for Dean and Roman, to feel outside of things, watching them happen but unable to participate. He barely felt the cold metal of the handcuffs, paid no attention to the ride to the police station.

It was only when he was left alone with a small paper glass of water that he started to come back to himself. He looked over his shoulders, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Dean and Roman in the corner of the room.

The water was lukewarm, but it did its job, unsticking his tongue from the roof of his mouth. He swallowed hard, then looked at Roman. "How did you die?" It suddenly struck him as odd that he didn't know that; he knew so much about these two guys, but major details like that had never seemed important.

"Heart defect," Roman said. "Never saw it coming. Dropped in the middle of a family barbeque." He shook his head; "Hell of a thing to sit through your own autopsy."

The door opened, Seth looked over to see two people enter. The first was a tall blond man with short hair. The dark blue suit he wore was well fitted, and it did nothing to hide the man's muscular build.

Behind him was a woman wearing a dark grey suit with a white blouse underneath. She seemed equally fit, her dirty blond hair tied back into a ponytail. Her sharp blue eyes stared at him levelly as she took a seat. "Mr. Rollins, is it? I'm Detective McMahon and this is my partner, Detective Helmsley."

"Lawyer." Dean said instantly. "Get a law-" He frowned, going right up to the man and staring at his face. "I know you. I know you."

Seth drained the last of his water, looking between the two. "Do I need a lawyer?"

"To be honest, I wouldn't worry about it," Helmsley said. "There was a security camera across the street. It caught most of the attack, up until you guys fell into the alley. Two witnesses saw Mr. Turner jump you. We'll have to run it by the District Attorney, but this was pretty obviously self defense. All we need is your version of the events, Mr. Rollins."

"Seth," he said, swallowing hard. "Call me Seth. I was leaving the gym..."

Stephanie adjusted the volume on the tape recorder. Hunter took down notes by hand. She watched Rollins as he spoke. He kept his eyes down, except to look up periodically. His hand shook as he reached for his glass of water. His tone was detached, but there was a waver in his voice; more than likely, he was still in shock. As a police officer, she knew there was always the chance that a situation would escalate and she would have to take a life, though she'd been spared that so far. She could only imagine what it would be like for someone without that sort of training. Despite all the preparation, she'd known many cops who'd had a hard time coping with the aftermath; the department had any number of psychologists on hand to help officers deal with the trauma.

The man had fallen silent. "What happened next, Mr. Rollins?"

Seth coughed weakly and took a sip of water. "Levon pointed a gun at me. He said he wanted my wallet and my keys. Something distracted him, I think he heard a noise or something and he lowered the gun. I threw my bag at him and he dropped it. I got the gun and I just wanted to get him away from me, but he had something in his hand, something shiny; I didn't know if it was a knife or ... so I..." He gripped the empty glass tighter. "So I shot-"

"He had another weapon on him," Stephanie said. "A gun." She looked over at Hunter, who had a familiar look on his face.

"You probably shouldn't be driving right now." Hunter said. "Why don't we give you a lift back to your apartment?"

Stephanie tried not to let her surprise show.

"Y-you don't have to do that," Rollins said quickly. "I can take a cab."

"Oh, I insist." Hunter closed his notebook and looked over at his partner, flicking his eyes towards the door.

"Excuse us, paperwork, you know how it is." Stephanie followed the tall blond out the door, closing it firmly behind her. "What's with the chauffeur act, Helmsley?"

"Something's not right," Hunter said. "I need some time to put my finger on it. We're missing something here. I need a little more time with him. You don't have to-"

"I'm good." She looked over his shoulder, nodding to a couple of the younger detectives who were crossing the hallway. Stephanie waited until they passed before putting her hand on Hunter's arm with a smile. "Let's go then."

Rollins hadn't moved since they'd left the room; she wondered how hard he'd hit the wall when everything sunk in. "Are you ready to go, Seth?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, turning to look at her. "Yeah." He held out his hands obediently, as the male detective uncuffed him. "Thank you." He rubbed his wrists and got to his feet.

On the way out of the building, Seth fought the urge to shut his eyes. There were so many people around, cops with the wrong uniforms, people with gunshot wounds, covered in blood. He trailed behind the detectives. Roman walked in front of the cops and Seth stared hard at the back of his head, trying to drown everything out. Dean was oddly quiet, staring at Hunter just as intently. He took a deep breath as they entered the parking lot, shoving his hands into his pockets to try and stop the shaking.

o(**)o

Stephanie stepped into Rollins' apartment and let out a low whistle. The brand new perfectly matched furniture, all sleek black leather, was a testament to the work of an interior decorator. The walls were a cream colour. The far right wall was dominated by a glossy black bookcase, the left was an enormous flatcreen. In the middle of the room was a semicircular computer desk complete with two monitors and a keyboard with glowing green buttons. "What did you say you did, Mr. Rollins?"

"Computer security," Seth said. "Companies hire me to break into their systems, exploit the weak points so they can patch them up."

"You're a hacker?"

"On the right side of the law," Seth corrected her. "I help companies plug gaps in their systems. The only way to find those gaps is to go after them they way your typical hacker would." He shrugged. "I get to have all the fun of breaking into a system, the pay is good and I don't have cops busting down my door." He blinked. "Uh, no offense, detectives."

"Yeah, I don't blame you." Hunter spoke for the first time, narrowing his eyes at the other man. "It took me a while to figure it out."

"Figure it out?" Seth frowned.

"Something didn't sit right with me," Hunter held up his notepad. "You called him Levon."

"That was his name, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, Levon Turner. Except, I never called him that." Hunter took a step forward, shutting the door behind him. "Care to explain how you knew his name, Mr. Rollins?"

"Shit," Roman muttered, moving to stand beside Seth. "Keep calm."

Seth blinked. "I'm not sure. It must have been on a report somewehre, or I overheard it..."

"No, Seth, you didn't; see, it's not in the regulations to have suspects see their own files."

"Shit," Roman muttered. "Keep your cool, Seth."

"Whoa, suspect?" Seth backed up, putting some space between himself and the detectives. "You said I wasn't a suspect. It was self-defense, you said that! You said there was a tape, that there were witnesses-"

"I know you," Dean walked slow circles around Hunter, rapping his knuckles against his temple. "I know you, I know you, I fucking know you! Where do I know you from?"

"I'm starting to have my doubts." Hunter stepped a little closer, tilting his head to the side as if he was trying to read something written on Seth's face. "See, self-defense doesn't count when someone goes looking for trouble."

"Excuse me?" Seth squared his shoulders. "I told you what happened. I was going to my car-" His heart was pounding in his chest. He balled his hands into fists and shut his eyes, trying to get his hearbeat under control. "I think you should leave."

"Oh that's rich," Hunter took another step forward. "You want to know what I think?"

"Where the hell do I know you from?" Dean tilted his head to the left, then right, as if studying the man's face from a different angle would solve the riddle.

"Goddamnit would you shut up and let me concentrate?" Seth snapped, glaring at Ambrose.

Stephanie's eyes darted between the two men and she took a step forward, interjecting herself between them. Hunter looked pissed and Rollins... he looked like hell. "Let's all calm down here, okay?" She looked at her partner sharply. "Nobody is throwing accusations around." She looked over at the two-toned man, who was hanging on to the kitchen counter like it was the only thing holding him up. Maybe there was something to what Hunter was saying. "Mr. Rollins, you're not looking too good. We should take you to the hospital-"

"NO!" Seth stared at her; she might as well have suggested setting him on fire. He couldn't live within ten blocks of one. The sights and sounds were overwhelming. The last time he'd had to go... he shuddered and shook his head. "I can't," he said softly. "I have an anxiety disorder; I've got a doctor who'll come here."

"Really is quite the setup you've got here, Rollins," Hunter fought the urge to golf clap. "Private doctor, huge apartment, TV that costs more than I make in two months. But you don't get out much, do you? No wedding ring, no pictures around, nothing around, really, except for take-out menus. Guy like you could probably afford to go out and eat. In fact, looks like you spend a hell of a lot of time in here." He stepped past Stephanie. "I think I've finally figured out what you are, Rollins."

Seth laughed softly, sitting down on a bar stool. "Detective Helmsley, I would be really surprised if you figured me out, but you go ahead; tell me what I am."

"Bored."

Of all the answers he'd expected, that one wasn't on the list. Seth turned to look at him, arching an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Hunter started closing in on him, stepping past Stephanie to do it. "I think you spend all your time shut away in here, plugged into your computer, doing god knows what and you got bored. You got bored and decided you needed a little excitement in your life, so you went and picked a fight."

Laughter bubbled past Seth's lips again. "Are you kidding me? I went out and picked a fight? I didn't ask to get car jacked, I didn't ask for Levon to pull a gun on me, I didn't ask for any of this! Whatever you're thinking about me, you're dead wrong."

"I'm not the one who's dead. Levon is. And I'm looking at the guy-"

"That is enough, Hunter." Stephanie put a hand on her partner's chest, preventing him from getting any closer.

"Yeah, Detective, I'd suggest listening to your partner." Seth hopped off the stool and went to the fridge, grabbing himself a beer. He twisted the cap off and flicked it into a garbage pail. "Unless you're going to charge me with something, I want you out of my apartment."

"People like you really piss me off," Hunter snarled. "Guys like you who think that just because they've got money to throw around that they can get away with whatever they feel like. Guys who think they're above the law."

"I didn't do anything wrong! I was defending myself!" Seth started pacing. "He was going to kill me."

"Rollins," Roman's voice was low, but firm. "Calm down. You need to stop and think before you say something stupid-"

"I do not need to calm down, they need to leave!"

"Like that," Roman pinched the bridge of his nose. "You could be helping, Ambrose." The Samoan looked over, rolling his eyes when he saw that Dean was still staring at Hunter. "Would you let it rest? We've got a situation here."

Stephanie's eyes widened and she looked around the room. There were no shoes around, no other voices. "Mr. Rollins," she said slowly. "Who are you talking to?"

Hunter stopped in his tracks. Maybe they weren't dealing with the idle rich; this was turning into something else entirely, something that could be infinitely more dangerous.

Seth sat on the arm of the couch, staring at the floor. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The outburst had left him drained. He entrenched his fingers in the black leather couch, because he needed a grip on something, everything else seemed like it was slipping away. "I'm not crazy."

"Yes, because sane people talk to thin air all the time." Hunter muttered.

"Wow," Seth ran a hand through his hair. "Don't they put you guys through sensitivity training? Or ways to deal with people who are- I'm not crazy. I didn't set out to kill Levon tonight, I never wanted to kill anyone." Seth swallowed hard, blinking a few times to clear his blurred vision. It was finally starting to hit him.

"Mr... Seth," Stephanie began, raising a hand to shut Hunter up when the big blond would have opened his mouth. "Mr. Rollins, do you hear voices?"

Biting down on the inside of his cheek, Seth could only nod.

"Rollins, what the hell are you doing?" Roman snapped, blocking the detectives from his line of sight. "They already think you're crazy, they're going to lock you up. They will put you in another damn hospital."

Seth shook his head. "I see them, too, sometimes. That's why I don't go out much." He looked down at his hands; they were shaking pretty hard. All he wanted was to go to sleep. All he wanted was to scream, or forget this day ever happened. He doubted he would ever forget.

Stephanie felt like she was walking around a blindspot with no weapon. "Who do you see, Mr. Rollins?"

"Ghosts. I see ghosts." Rollins sighed.

"Damnit!" Roman started pacing. "They are going to lock you the fuck up, Rollins. They're going to throw you into the hospital and they'll start doping you up again. What the fuck are you doing?"

"I see..." Stephanie kept her hands by her sides, her right hand ready to reach for her weapon if she had to. Rollins hadn't changed his posture yet, leaning on the couch, staring at the floor. He was pale, shaken. Shock was kicking in.

"Right, yeah," Hunter snorted. "Because this is the kind of thing that will definitely clear up any suspicion. Let's pack it in, McMahon, we can put it in our report that the ghosts told our friend to shoot."

"I knew his name because someone told me. Dean Ambrose told me."

Hunter drew up short. "When did you say you moved here?"

"Nine months ago."

Hunter's tone was cold. "Dean Ambrose died two and a half years ago and he wasn't the kind of kid who'd fit in with your kind of crowd, Rollins."

"I know. Levon killed him. But since he wasn't locked up, I'm guessing you never caught him."

"So you're saying you killed him out of revenge."

"I ... I ... he came at me with a gun! He was going to kill me! Should I have let him?" Seth supposed he should feel angry, should be yelling and screaming, but all he felt was drained. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to convince- Wait." Seth straightened his posture. He looked over at Stephanie, then past her, The grip on the couch tightened as he focused.

"Mr. Ro-" Stephanie quieted. It was as if she wasn't there, like he was looking right through her, or just over her left shoulder.

"Your mother's name was Linda." Seth said through gritted teeth. "She died of cancer twelve years ago, right after you graduated from the Academy."

"That's not funny." Stephanie snapped. "And that's information anyone could get-"

The woman behind Stephanie looked a lot like her, had the same eyes. "She was buried in a blue business suit. The night before the funeral, you had an argument with your older brother Shane. There was this... this pin thing. No, there were two of them. You wanted to put on the pin shaped like North Carolina, where she was born. Shane wanted her to wear a blue and white one your father gave her. You won." Seth put his free hand to his temple, his breathing starting to quicken. "But he pinned the other brooch to the inside of her sleeve so she'd have a piece of your father." He opened his eyes, staring at the wall again. "Your grandfather used to call you Peach Pie. She..." He blinked and focused on them. "She doesn't mind that the two of you are sleeping together; it's not like either one of you is married-"

"How the hell did -?"

Seth's knees gave out and he hit the ground hard. Stephanie crouched down in front of him. A red line started from his ear, dripping down into the collar of his shirt. "You're bleeding."

"I can't always," Seth groaned and sprawled out on the floor, resting his back on the side of the couch. "I can't control who I talk to. It's usually whoever's around. Sometimes there's people who hang around other people. Usually they just stay where they die. I can't... I don't really like to force-"

"You are so full of shit, Rollins. Not only are you a psycho, you're a liar. Conmen like you have a way of finding this shit out. You know that, Stephanie."

"Yeah, because bleeding from the ear is totally something you can fake," Dean muttered.

"I'm not a con man." Seth shook his head. "I don't make money off this. What the hell would I have to gain? You already think I'm crazy. Hell, sometimes I think I'm crazy."

"Seth," Stephanie put her hand on the prone man's wrist. "How did you know about Dean Ambrose?"

"Don't tell me you're buying into this shit, McMahon. You know better."

"Because he told me."

"Who told you?"

"Dean did."

"That's enough!" Hunter growled, hauling Seth up by his shirt and holding him almost nose to nose. "If you think I'm gonna let you-"

o(**)o

"That's it!" Dean snapped his fingers. "That's how I know you!"

o(**)o

"I..." Seth turned to the side. "You what? Why the hell?"

Hunter shook him a little. "You might be able to fool-"

"Do you still carry Tootsie Rolls in your squad car?" Seth blurted out, nearly tripping over the words in his haste to get them out.

Hunter's grip slacked. "What did you just say?"

Seth licked his lips, trying to parse the flow of words coming from Dean's mouth. "You went to Dean's house. His mom was high as hell, all their stuff had been taken. He was like six or something. You took him to your squad car, you let him turn on the sirens. You had Tootsie Rolls in your dashboard. You told him... you gave him your card and you told him that if he ever needed help, that you'd flip on the sirens and be there as quick as you could. You asked him... you asked him not to tell anyone about the Tootsie Rolls because your partner Shawn would eat them all."

Hunter let go of him and took a step back. "What the hell?"

Seth sat back down. "I'm not crazy. Be easier if I was, because then the medication would have a shot at working."

"Don't leave town, Rollins." Hunter said quickly.

The next thing he knew, the detectives were gone. Seth took a deep breath and went back to his beer. It was mostly warm, but it did its job. He drained it in a few long, deep gulps, setting the empty bottle in the sink. "Well I'm probably fucked."

"Well yeah," Reigns shook his head. "I can't believe you told them."

"What the hell was I supposed to do, man? They were going to charge me. Then they were going to lock me up. I just... I just wanted them to go."

"Well they left," Dean hopped up on the counter, his legs swinging idly. "But they're probably going to be back. We shouldn't be here when they do."

"What am I supposed to do? Pack up and move again?"

"Wouldn't be the first time, right?"

"No," Seth sighed. "No it wouldn't. But not tonight." He grabbed another beer from the fridge.

"Drink one for me," Dean said.

"Same," Reigns added.

"Ohhhh that won't be a problem." Seth grabbed two bottles and went over to the couch.

o(**)o

Seth hit the backspace for what felt like the millionth time that day. "Son of a bitch!" He pushed away from the desk in disgust, resting his elbows on his knees as he roughly raked a hand through his hair. "Son of a bitch."

"Rollins, you've been cooped up for days. You need to get out of here." Reigns said gently.

"Go hit on Summer." Dean nodded. "Chick that hot'll take your mind off anything."

"I'm really not-" Seth frowned when he heard someone knock on the door. Standing up, he tried his best to get his hair under some sort of control. He looked through the peephole and blinked. "Huh." He opened the door and stepped to the side to let the other person in. "Are you here to arrest me, Detective?"

"No." Hunter shook his head. "Let's just say that hypothhetically, I'm considering believing you."

"All right. Hypothetically. If you believe me, why are you here?"

"I'm not a guy who likes wasting time." Hunter said. "So if I wanted to hire you as a consultant on certain cases..."

"Wait a second," Seth held up a hand. "Hypothetically, right? I already told you I can't just ask them. They might not know. They might not realize they're dead. And somtimes they might not even be there. Sometimes people just.. move on. I can't explain it."

"But sometimes, hypothetically, they would know."

"They might lie. And what are you going to do? Trot me out to a crime scene and not explain why I'm there?"

"You're also a computer security expert. So even if... the uh, hypotheticals don't work out, you do have other skills."

"Don't you have a whole team of cops for shit like that?"

"Yeah, but there's a waiting list. I already told you, I don't like wasting my time. Whatever edge I can take, I'll take it."

"So you want to use me? Hypothetically. Does your partner know you're here?" Seth tugged his shirt a little straighter.

"No, she doesn't. Not yet."

"And if I refuse?"

"I don't think you will, Rollins. This job you've got, all hidden like this, it's got to be boring. You've got to get out in the real world somtime. Pay's shit, but it's there, too. If you really do have this... talent, then you can use it to help people. Think about it." Without another word, Hunter walked away, shutting the door behind him.

Seth stared at the door for a long time. "Huh."

"You could say that again," Reigns muttered.

"So you gonna do it or what?" Ambrose flopped on to the couch with a grunt. "Be a hell of a reason to get out of the house more often."

"Me working for the cops?" Seth laughed.

"He wasn't wrong you know," Roman walked over to the window. "Helping people. Using what you've got."

"Cops in your pocket can be pretty handy."

Seth sighed and went for the door, throwing it open. Prepared to yell down the hall, he nearly tripped backwards when he saw Helmsley waiting, not six inches from the door. "Detective?"

"Yeah, Rollins?"

Seth took a deep breath. "I'll think about it."

Hunter nodded. "I thought you might. I'll see you around." He headed down the hallway.

Seth closed the door and leaned against it. "Huh."

THE END

Hope you liked it!


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